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The week during which San Diego Comic-Con takes place is the absolute best time to be a nerd of all kinds. However, the annual event is a particularly grand treat for collectors of comic book variant covers.
As per usual, SDCC 2026 will be a treasure trove for exclusive releases of special art pieces accompanying some of the industry's biggest titles as of late. One of these variant covers will especially be a must-have for fans of the cult favorite '80s sci-fi movie The Last Starfighter.
The Last Starfighter #1 Variant Cover Exclusive To San Diego Comic-Con
A special variant cover for the new comic book sequel to The Last Starfighter will be available exclusively at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. The artwork depicts hero Alex Rogan embracing his wife, Maggie, in front of a cosmic battle surrounded by iridescent light.
Mad Cave Studios' The Last Starfighter takes place 40 years after director Nick Castle's 1984 classic about a young disillusioned trailer park resident (played by Lance Guest) whose record-breaking high score on a seemingly normal arcade game earns him the opportunity to help save a peaceful alien race from a deadly invasion. Writers Deric A. Hughes and Benjamin Raab, along with penciler Willi Roberts and colorist Francesco Segala, put Alex on a new mission to defeat the Xur and the Ko-Dan Armada.
The variant cover is designed by Christian Ward, who has multiple Eisner Award wins to his name for his distinct comic book cover designs. He is more recently known for writing Event Horizon: Dark Descent and Event Horizon: Inferno, another pair of comics that expand on the universe of a cult favorite sci-fi movie, in this case, P.W. Anderson's cosmic horror flick from 1997.
Ward's The Last Starfighter #1 variant cover will be available to purchase for $20 at Mad Cave Studios' San Diego Comic-Con booth (#2806). There will only be a quantity of 250 issues available at a limit of five per person each day for as long as supplies last.
Mad Cave Has More Exclusive Variant Covers Coming To SDCC
Attendees of 2026's San Diego Comic-Con who consider themselves fans of more of what Mad Cave Studios has to offer, in addition to its run of The Last Starfighter, are in luck. The publisher has more exclusive variant covers to present at the special event.
For instance, Booth #2806 will have 250 copies of Dave Johnson's redesign of the first issue of Jimmy Palmiotti's Pop Kill, which explores the violent rivalry between two formerly conjoined brothers and soda company owners. There is a "Nice" (i.e. censored) edition of the cover, boasting a scantily clad woman drinking a can of cola, for $20, but fans can get the "Naughty" Black Bag Variant for $5 more.
Mad Cave is printing 500 copies of a foil treatment variant cover for Dan Panosian and David Feracci's Western gothic tale, The Dirt Beneath the Devil #1. The haunting new design comes from Becky Cloonan, who is famous for being the first female artist to draw a mainline Batman title for DC Comics.
Dustin Nguyen of Image Comics's Descender fame presents a variant cover for Honor and Curse: Eternal #1. One hundred copies of the first issue of Mark London's story about a centuries-old ninja warrior forced to confront his past in modern-day New York City will be available to purchase for $20.
London also pens Mister Nemo, an aquatic adventure bred from the Mad Cave Studios' Underworld Universe. A variant cover for the premiere issue from Ben 10 co-creator Duncan Rouleau is coming to SDCC in the form of 250 $20 copies.
This year, actor John Cusack made his comic book debut penning Momo, which is inspired by legendary comedian Jackie Gleason's purported fascination with UFOs and paranormal activity. An SDCC exclusive cover of Comics! The Magazine celebrates the new graphic novel with an illustration by its artist, Ignacio Noé.
The Last Starfighter #1 is now available where comic books are sold, and San Diego Comic-Con 2026 takes place from Thursday, July 23, to Sunday, July 26.
